The Book Thief ThemesSage Mortson

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

There is beauty inside the pages

"The point is, it didn't really matter what that book was about. It was what it meant that was more important. ***THE BOOK'S MEANING*** 1- the last time she saw her birthed. 2- the last time she saw her mother " (Zusak 38).

This quote backs up my theme because Death is saying that there are more to the books that Liesel has stolen have a deeper meaning than just being a book. Liesel steals a book every time something significant happens in her life. As the quote says, she stole her first book the last time she saw her brother and her mom. She stole her second book when she realized the reality behind Hitler's ideas. Max, the Jew who lives in their basement, makes Liesel a mini book about his life for her birthday. Each book that she has, has a deeper meaning behind it, not just being "The Grave Diggers Handbook" or "The Shoulder Shrug". And this doesn't just apply to Liesel. When Max was coming to the Hubermann's for the first time, he was given a book. Inside the pages were not just words. There was a fake ID and a house key and a map to help Max find his way to his new home. The overall point is, there is more to a book than the cover and the words on the pages, there's a deeper meaning to the book, you just need to read between the pages.

Pit Bulls are known to be fighting dogs. Usually, people will be afraid of them or families will avoid buying them because they are violent. They are a stronger breed of dog and aren't afraid to hold back. But that's how it use to be. People don't understand that Pit Bulls are like every other dog. Their aggression is strictly based on how they are trained. If the Pit Bull is raised to be loving and nice, then they will be that way. If a little Chiwawa is trained to be mean, they will be mean. But it also doesn't help that buff, masculine men usually have a Pit Bull to help increase their image. Pit Bulls are actually people-orientated and love to cuddle. Most Pit Bulls will NOT attack people, but because of their muscular structure and their history, they are feared. The overall point is we can't just look at a Pit Bull and be afraid of it. People need to realize that back then, Pit Bulls were raised to be fighting dogs, but it's different now. People today raise their Pit Bull to be loving and caring. So we can't judge this breed of dog by its history and its appearance. We can't judge the book by its cover.

Dynamics in Human Behavior

Kindness VS Cruelty

"He came in every night and sat with her. The first couple of times, he simply stayed - a stranger to kill the aloneness. A few nights after that, he whispered, 'Shhh, I'm here, it's all right.' After three weeks, he held her. Trust was accumulated quickly, due primarily to the brute strength of the man's gentleness, his thereness" (Zusak 36).

"There was nothing but dry paint, difficult breath, and the deluge of abuse from Rosa" (Zusak 33).

These quotes back up my theme because it shows the trust between someone who is kind and someone who is cruel. Obviously, both Hans and Ross care about Liesel, but Liesel feels like she is closer to Hans. Liesel says that the trust came quickly because he was always there for her. He was supportive of her nightmares and made her feel like she was really his daughter. Rose on the other hand gave Leiesel more of a tough love. She holds Liesel to a high standard in the sense of helping than Hans.

There is a spectrum throughout the story so far. There is kindness in the mayors wife when she invites Liesel to see her library. There is kindness when Rudy jumps into the river to save Liesel's book. There is kindness with the Hubermann's keep Max in their basement. There is kindness when Max makes Liesel a birthday present. Kindness is key to help people get through the rough times. But there is not kindness everywhere. There is more cruelty than kindness. We see cruelty in Viktor and Franz at Rudy. There is obviously cruelty from the Nazi's to the Jews. We see cruelty in Hitler Youth.

Haiti is the place of natural disasters. They are poor and need help after a tragic accident. After Hurricane Matthew, Haiti needed help, and the Medical Teams International’s Mobile Medical Units didn't hesitate to help. When Haiti was in a cruel park of life, there was kindness there to help balance out the cruelty. This proves my theme because in real life, there has to be kindness in a world of cruelness. Without it, there is no hope, there is no joy, and the cruelness will continue on. The world needs a balance of this spectrum, at the very least.

Complexity of Thievery

Right or Wrong?

"Without any hesitation, he poured the water onto the road in the exact position where Otto would pedal around the corner. Liesel had to admit it. There was a small portion of guilt at first, but the plan was perfect, or at least as close to perfect as it could be." (Zusak 162)... "He wasted no time in losing control of the bike, sliding across the ice, and lying facedown on the road. When he didn't move, Rudy looked at Leisel with alarm. 'Crucified Christ,' he said, 'I think we might have killed him!' He crept slowly out, removed the basket, and they made their getaway." (Zusak 163).

The question behind thievery is whether or not there is a right time to do so. Liesel steals many things throughout the story (books, apples, crossword puzzles, etc.), but after this incident she is faced with the same question. At this point she is faced with a moral self check, she redefined when it is right to steal and when it is wrong. She swore that she would never steal again if it meant she was hurting someone. This shows Liesel coming of age. But the question still remains, is there a right time to steal. And there is no definite answer; it's a moral preference. For example, a rich person who could buy whatever they want would say it is not ok because they are in a great situation in life and they don't need to steal, they can just buy whatever they want/need. But a homeless mother with three children and no money would say it is ok because she needs stuff for her and her family to survive, but she doesn't have any money. So she is faced with the reality of either stealing or starving and possibly dying.

Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the poor. So obviously his morals are it is ok to steal for a good cause. However, others did not agree with his morals because Robin Hood is wanted. This folk tail backs up my theme because it shows the complexity of thievery. In this story, there are people who believe and are ok with theft; but there are also people who do not agree with theft. The people who do agree with this idea are the people who need the things, meaning the poor who Robin Hood is stealing for. Also, Robin Hood would be ok with theft because he is the one stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. And obviously the rich and the people that are getting stolen from don't agree with the idea of theft.